Would the score have been much different last night against the Lakers if Tay had been guarding Kobe?? Not sure if I have an answer for that one.

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While Tay is nobody's defensive juggernaught these days, I get the feeling he could have made things just a wee bit more difficult for him than bengo. Q made a mistake by not sticking to making sure either JJ or Stuckey was defending Kobe. This was a game that Summers really should have gotten more run outside of the 4th qtr to combat LA's size.

While Tay is nobody's defensive juggernaught these days, I get the feeling he could have made things just a wee bit more difficult for him than bengo. Q made a mistake by not sticking to making sure either JJ or Stuckey was defending Kobe. This was a game that Summers really should have gotten more run outside of the 4th qtr to combat LA's size.

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And Stuckey did a good job on Kobe early in that game, forcing him into an airball and stripping the ball on two attempted postups.

I think for most of the remainder of the game, they had Stuckey on Artest. Gordon trying to cover Kobe is just a horrible matchup.

Naw, I think Kobe was just missing shots, but at least Stuckey challenged him, albeit slightly.

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I agree for the most part, but Stuckey did strip him twice early on.

The disheartening part of this loss for me (and I only watched the 1st half) was that this was the 3rd game in a row where the opponent has moved the ball with ease and gotten easy shots against the Piston D.

Gordon on Kobe was just wrong on so many levels. Put our weakest defender on the top scorer in the league.

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Exactly! Q has that clip-board and he doesn't know what he should know. He's in the business of human relations. Talent is easy to spot, but the head game is what makes them decide to get "less nurtured". That's why the majority of players understand someone like LB. Brown will say to them, "look, you have 15-20 years invested into your physical talents, now it's time for me to take you into other levels".

Here is a little thing that I noticed while watching the Portland game. These were provided by a quip from the Portland announcers (actually quite good) and an astute camera man.

As Kwame was replacing JMax, (who was having his way with what was impressing them about his play), they commented, "wow, Kwame Brown is going in for Maxiell and I don't understand this, oh well, he knows his players better than I do."

Last minute of the game and who will get the lucky break. During these tense moments, a slight shot down the bench and an isolation full-shot of Ben Gordon. Slightly nervous, body-calm and an object-mind distance away from the game and crowd. As a player, you know and feel, both an in-out presence.

Each time these happened, I looked down at my keyboard and shook my head.

Q has got to get a handle on this stuff. If he won't listen to Hill (who might be the same stone as himself, that's talking to another stone); then maybe we should hire Curry back...sorta like a new Larry, Moe and Curly routine without the slap-stick...a new working underground method that moves toward the silent world of a non-creative Chaplin pantomime. It might not be successful, but it comes cheap and the dialog is in big letters.